José M. Campiña

Aggregation-induced conformational transitions in bovine β-lactoglobulin adsorbed onto open chitosan structures

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide which strongly interacts with whey proteins in solution. Certain protein–polyelectrolyte complexes and electrostatically assembled thin films have been shown to be good platforms for the preservation of globular and small proteins in their native state mainly due to the hydrophilic nature of these polyelectrolytes and to the lack of physical space for embedded proteins to relax. As a consequence, the use of natural polyelectrolytes in new nanocomposite materials for medicine, chemical analysis, catalysis, etc. has exploded in the last few years. Nevertheless, in many of these applications proteins are immobilized in more open structures without physical restrictions to undergo conformational changes. In this work, we investigate the nature of these transitions for a model whey protein, β-LG, on a chitosan-decorated Au surface in a scenario for which protein–surface interactions compete with boosted protein–protein non-coulombic forces. The adsorption kinetics, protein mass uptake (plus associated water), and flexibility of the adsorbed layers have been followed in situ by the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Further ex situ characterization has been performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and non-invasive scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The balance between both types of interactions yielded surfaces heavily loaded with protein and water in which orientational transitions seemed restricted. The kinetics of the process was registered in a wide range of concentrations and successfully fitted to a double exponential equation derived from the RSA theory accounting for the establishment of slow post-adsorption conformational transitions.

Probing the Contribution of Different Intermolecular Forces to the Adsorption of Spheroproteins onto Hydrophilic Surfaces

Protein adsorption is a delicate process, which results from the balance between the properties of proteins and their solid supports. Although the relevance of some of these parameters has been already unveiled, the precise involvement of electrostatics and other weaker intermolecular forces requires further comprehension. Aiming to contribute to this task, this work explores the attachment, rearrangement, and surface aggregation of a model spheroprotein, such as bovine β-lactoglobulin (β-LG), onto hydrophilic substrates prefunctionalized with different alkylthiol films. Thereby, a variety of electrostatic scenarios for the adsorption of β-LG could be recreated through the variation of the pH and the functional chemistry of the surfaces. The changes in surface mass density (plus associated water) and film flexibility were followed in situ with quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. Film packing and aggregation were assessed by faradaic electrochemical measurements and ex situ atomic force microscopy and field effect scanning electron microscopy. In contrast to previous hypotheses arguing that electrostatic interactions between charged substrates and proteins would be the only driving force, a complex interplay between Coulombic and non-Coulombic intermolecular forces (which would depend upon the experimental conditions) has been suggested to explain the results.